Your Local Songwriter’s Songwriter: Kat Gets Set to Shine in 2008 February Feature 2008 Feature Article by Ben Krieger   Photo by Judith Levitt

On a winter evening in late 2007, a crowd of musicians gathered at the Laila Lounge for I Heart You 2, an event where local artists cover their peers. By the end of the evening, three different acts had performed songs originally written by Kat. Two of the acts were longtime admirers of her work, but the icing on the cake was Miwagemini, who in a state of indecision had searched through the streams on Radio Jezebel for a standout artist to cover. Kat has become one of Brooklyn's best-kept secrets on the basis of her great songs. In 2008, she takes a step into the spotlight with a great album and a new sense of career ambition.

"I was shocked," states Kat when asked about the flattering evening, "it was so bizarre." Many musicians will tell you that a successful live performance requires one to have a strong belief in oneself and the material being played. For years, fans of Kat -- many of them musicians as well -- needed to rely on a discerning ear to recognize the quality songwriting beneath her shy stage presence. About a year ago it seems as if Kat turned a corner: stronger vocals, a clearer sense of leadership onstage, firm demands for the sound engineers at venues, and a new sense of overall confidence in her performances. Combined with Kat's top-notch songwriting, this newfound strength is helping to shape her live performances into something truly special, a live songwriting act that deserves to play among Brooklyn's best.

The strength of Kat's songs springs from a variety of places. She's a New Yorker, born and raised, and her material contains all of the tough, well-read and thoughtful charm that goes with the territory. Lyrically, they run the gamut from surreal ("Giants have been eating at my table") to direct and personal ("when you touched me there it really hit the spot"). Many of the characters are vulnerable, looking back on relationships that could have gone a bit better, but there is a sense of inner strength and dignity that permeates their tales in songs like "Act Accordingly." Some songs, such as "Failed Utopia," present a more worldly focus, tackling big themes with cryptic, visceral imagery like broken teeth and table crumbs. Kat acknowledges her material is meant to present a concerned but ultimately laid-back view of life; Oh, The Humanity!, the title of Kat's new CD, can be read as a good-fun poke at the attitude that often weighs down the material of many singer-songwriters. If the words and stories help explain why other musicians want to cover her songs, it is also important to note that Kat's material is fun to play as well. The chord changes avoid the most well-worn paths and the inventive melodies help to put her personal stamp on the compositions. If there is room for an extra hook, Kat takes the time to write it in and the final product never sounds labored as a result.

Two years in the making, Oh, The Humanity! features eleven of Kat's well-crafted songs. A lush, folk-pop record painstakingly produced by Len Monachello of the All Night Chemists, Humanity is an ambitious debut for its seasoned songwriter, who has been writing and recording for years but has never released an official collection until now. According to Kat, the album was intended to be ambitious from the start. While she will admit to her "control-freak" tendencies in the studio, she feels that this collection contains a healthy dose of the eclectic, 70s charm that Monachello has brought to his own records. Along with the usual suspects, the listener detects a variety of keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, and assorted toys throughout the record (not to mention a heavy dose of reverb). Vocally, Kat has turned any shyness she might have into a plus; like the famously insecure John Lennon, she alters and enhances her voice with a variety of filters and production techniques throughout the record. Amidst a sea of sounds that would drown out many singer-songwriters, Kat is able to hold her own quite well.

Kat's live performance has traditionally been more stripped down, featuring a trio that includes Monachello on drums and Brandon Wilde (Black Bunny) on bass and harmonies. Kat expresses interest in expanding this live act to the point where the soundscapes on Oh, The Humanity! can be done justice. Right now, she’s sitting on boxes of new CDs ready to be enjoyed by patient fans and newcomers alike. On Thursday, February 21 the wait is over.